The police have arrested a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, and four other police officers.
Africa Today News, New York reports that others arrested alongside Kyari include ACP Sunday Ubuah, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agrigba, and Inspector John Nuhu, while the fifth suspect whose name was given as ASP John Umoru, is still at large.
They were arrested on Monday for their involvement in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, discreditable, unethical and unprofessional conduct, official corruption, and tampering with exhibits in a case of illicit drug trafficking involving a perpetual transnational drug cartel, the police said.
Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed their arrest in a statement in Abuja, revealed that they have been handed over to authorities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
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‘The arrest of the officers was sequel to pieces of information received from the leadership of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on 10th February 2022,’ said Adejobi who is a Chief Superintendent of Police. ‘In line with standard administrative procedure of the Force, the Inspector General of Police ordered a high-level, discreet, and in-house investigation into the allegations.
‘The interim investigations report revealed that two international drug couriers identified as Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, both males, were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on the 19th of January 2022 upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.
‘The arrest led to the recovery of a substantial quantity of powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two narcotic couriers. The operation which was intelligence-driven was undertaken by a unit of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).’
While the case and the two suspects were transferred to the NDLEA on January 25, Adejobi explained that the findings of the in-house investigation ordered by the police chief established “reasonable grounds for strong suspicion” that the IRT officers involved in the operation could have been involved in some underhand and unprofessional dealings, as well as official corruption which compromised ethical standards in their dealings with the suspects and exhibits recovered.
He added that beyond this, the police investigation also established that the international narcotics cartel involved in the case had ‘strong ties’ with some officers of the NDLEA at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu who were said to be on their payroll.
The two arrested drug couriers, according to the police spokesman, confirmed that the modus is for the transnational drug barons to conspire with the NDLEA officers on duty and send them their pre-boarding photographs for identification, seamless clearance, and unhindered passage out of the airport with the narcotics being trafficked.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK